1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to seatbelts used to restrain occupants in a vehicle, and, more specifically to seatbelts used in law enforcement vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known in the art to use seatbelts in automobiles or other vehicles in order to restrain occupants in the event of a collision or other adverse event.
Although the primary purpose of seatbelts is to provide safety for occupants of vehicles, a secondary purpose for law enforcement is to use seatbelts to restrain an occupant to prevent them from harming themselves or others during transportation or while the vehicle is not in motion.
Seatbelts are comprised of two or more sections that link together with the occupant between the seatbelt and the seat. The seatbelt is attached to some portion of the vehicle in order to provide the necessary restraint needed to counteract the forces of a collision or other adverse event.
During use, the occupant is seated in a desired position and pulls at least two sections of seatbelt together and fastens them. Typically, the fastening mechanism involves a female section of a buckle on a non-anchored section and a male section of a buckle on an anchored section.
It is also well-known in the art to provide extensions for seatbelts in the event that the occupant is too large to fit between a standard coupled seatbelt and the seat. Such extensions typically have a male section of a buckle on one end and a female section of a buckle on the other end, and are provided in various lengths to extend the operative length required for the occupant. In extreme cases, two or more extensions can be used.
In some instances, the occupant needs assistance with operating the seatbelt themselves. Some of these instances are people with infirmities, the elderly, the very young, or people with cognitive difficulties. Assistance can then be provided by someone else to restrain the occupant.
In law enforcement situations, it is normal to have the operation of the seatbelt restraint of an occupant performed by law enforcement personnel rather than by themselves. There is a duty to transport the occupant in a safe manner, should a collision or other adverse event occur.
In addition to the safe transportation of occupants, there are often situations where it is desired to restrain them from harming themselves or others while in the vehicle, the vehicle being in motion or at rest. When placed securely in the seat by the seatbelt, the occupant then has limited movement.
Often in these law enforcement situations, the occupant has been previously restrained by handcuffs or other restraining mechanisms; in such cases, it is impossible for the individual to restrain themselves with the seatbelt.
In these situations as well, the occupant may be combative and/or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and therefore pose a danger to themselves or the law enforcement personnel attempting to restrain them in the vehicle. This applies even if the occupant has been previously restrained by handcuffs or other restraining means, as the occupant has several means with which to harm himself or others. These means may include biting, kicking, lunging, grabbing, striking, scratching, head-butting, or other altercations.
When restraining an occupant, it is necessary for the law enforcement personnel to lean inside the vehicle and over/across the occupant in order to buckle the seatbelt. This leaves that person or persons extremely vulnerable to any or more of the adverse consequences mentioned above. Additionally, injury to the back or other anatomic area may occur as a result of the awkward positioning needed to operate the seatbelt. Finally, the occupant may falsely claim the law enforcement personnel was sexually harassing them as a result of the close proximity between the two.
Typically with present vehicles, the law enforcement personnel must reach over to “fish around” for the section on the opposite side of the occupant, that section possibly lying under the occupant or between parts of the seat or otherwise not readily accessible. This is a time of typically high stress and urgency, where expediency is critical to complete the buckling operation.
What is therefore needed in the art is a seatbelt apparatus that allows someone to safely and expeditiously operate buckling of the seatbelt for an occupant who is not permitted to, physically restrained from, or incapable of operating it themselves.